You’re lying on a blue-and-white-striped mat at the front of a private yacht, feeling the caressing wind on your face and hearing the murmur of the water passing below - classic and glamorous, as if from a movie. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a Hollywood star to relive such an iconic silver-screen moment, and you don’t even have to go all the way to the sea for it. Launched in late May, Thetis offers private boat excursions that showcase Budapest attractions like Margaret Island, the Parliament, the Buda Castle, or even nearby riverside towns like Visegrád and Esztergom.
The beginning
Built in 1963 of Honduran mahogany, the boat is named after the Greek goddess and sea nymph, and it was already regarded as a luxury vessel at the time of its construction. It traveled the seas of South America and the waters of Balaton, until in March 2014 it was finally purchased by György Juhász, who was quickly convinced that he had to own the boat after spending a wonderful day aboard. Over the next few months, it was taken from Keszthely via the Sió Canal all the way to the Budapest section of the Danube at Népsziget Island. In the beginning, the owners only took the small deep-brown-and-white vessel for family trips, but they soon realized that they wanted to share the experience with others, and welcome anyone who is up for a thrilling ride on the yacht. This is how boating became a favorite part-time job for a ship builder and an environmental politician. Nothing proves the family’s love for being on the water more strikingly than the fact that they've made their home on a houseboat, with a "garage" where Thetis is usually parked.
The boatEven though the boat is not particularly spacious, it has everything that passengers could ever need. With a folding table and chairs, the rear deck is a perfect place for elegant or casual dinner gatherings. The bow area features inviting striped mattresses to sunbathe or lounge on while marveling at the beautiful Danube stretched out before you. The section in the middle is the realm of the captain (and of the kids pretending to be in command), and the bathrooms, the bedroom, a small galley, and a dining room can be found below deck.The excursionsThe boat can accommodate 12 guests, plus the resident captain and a deckhand, and it’s available to rent for a wide variety of occasions – the captain doesn’t like to say no, he’s good at always finding a solution. The current favorite is the two-hour sightseeing excursion, but you can reserve the boat to go on a nighttime guided tour or a multi-day cruise, or perhaps to throw a festive dinner party. Visegrád and Szentendre are quite popular destinations just upriver from Budapest, and the furthest trip requested so far was to the town of Tát, near Esztergom. Due to the diversity of available services, the price usually depends on the particular offer. The Budapest sightseeing excursion is the only trip with a fixed hourly fee of 50,000 forints.
Thetis has had some pretty interesting passengers on board since being in business: the first official trip was held on the occasion of a bachelorette party, but the boat has also hosted a company team-building event, a family party, and even a surprise birthday party organized for a wife by her gallant husband. One of the memories the owners hold particularly dear is when a group of Russian guests spent their entire voyage playing guitar on the ship’s bow.
The crew says that most guests can only manage a surprised “wow” as a first reaction after stepping onto the deck, but it seems that it only takes a few minutes until everyone feels right at home. Funnily enough, almost everyone asks whether they can dip their feet in the water, but there have been other special requests as well: once a group of young passengers wanted to go ashore at Bálna because they’d apparently heard the sounds of a party nearby. As Thetis can only stop at the designated BKK ferryboat docks within the limits of Budapest, sparkly-eyed public-ferry passengers often come up to the boat as it approaches the shore, only to be told that unfortunately, this is not the vessel they’ve been waiting for.
We loved every part of the ship, but we have to say that there’s no place like the bow, where you can easily be tempted to have a DiCaprio moment of shouting “I’m the king of the world!” at the top of your lungs. You could spend hours sitting there, enjoying the gentle wind on your skin: there’s no shortage of intriguing attractions, and thanks to the leisurely speed, there’s time to count all the towers on the Parliament building. There’s something very authentic about this experience – there’s no kitsch, only you in the middle of the Danube with a lovely mahogany boat rocking almost in slow motion beneath your feet. You can take full advantage of everything Thetis has to offer all year long, even in the wintertime.
